Monsters
by danikat
Summary: AU story of a family trying to make their way in the world. Main pairings: LightL and MattMello. T for content and maybe cursing.
1. Chapter 1

**Since I haven't actually seen much of Death Note, nor have I read the manga, this story will be AU. No clue if the characters are OOC, I don't know what their like in-character. Main pairings: MattMello and LightL. Hope you like it.**

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Do you know how difficult it is to raise a family when you're just a kid. My older brother Mello and I do. After our parents died, it was just the three of us, Mello, Near, and me. Mello is only 19 and he joined the local gang to try to protect us from the fights in the area we live in. I'm only 17, but I dropped out of school and work all night at the local grocery to get enough money for us to live. I save what little I can for Near. He's only 7, but I want him to be able to go to college someday. He's a smart kid, if a little shy. His teachers have already started talking about having him skip a grade.

"Hey, Ro," Mello says as he walks in. "Hey, Mel," I respond as I finish stirring supper. "How was work?" "Not too bad," he says as he walks over to Near. "Hey, ya little sheep. What are ya up to?" "I'm doin' math," Near mumbles back. "He's not a sheep," I say as I roll my eyes at him, "He's your little brother." "Sure he is. He just looks like a sheep. Ow," he exclaims as I poke him with the end of my spoon. "Be nice." "I am nice," he exclaims, waving his arms around, "I put up with you poking me, I take care of the sheep, and I don't fuss, do I?" He pokes Near playfully. "I'm nice. Aren't I, Near?"

Near looks up briefly, shrugs and goes back to his work. "Now that's just cold," Mello sulks. I laugh at him and tell him to go get washed up for supper. Near nods and puts his work in his book bag. Then he goes and gets the plates for the table, which are stored in the lower cabinet where he can reach them. Mello comes back from the bathroom and grabs Near as he goes back for the silverware. He lifts him up and swings around, making Near laugh. I shake my head at them and turn the stove off. I serve the food and go grab the silverware that Near never got to.

As we eat, Mello elbows Near, who kicks me. I then poke Mello with my fork, and he pokes Near, without a fork. Near scrunches his face up in a pout and elbows Mello back. We are seriously one messed up family, but at least we're together. When our parents first died, Mello wanted us to go to the orphanage, but I refused. He was already 17 by then and they wouldn't have let him stay with us for very long. They probably would have adopted Near off because he was only 5. Then I would have been stuck there by myself.

We had a little money from our parents, but not enough to live on. We couldn't even collect most of it, because we were too young. Not that there was much to be had either way. We got by how we could. Mello and I dropped out of school and started working. Mello wasn't really cut out for the consumer industry, which is pretty much the only place that will take minors and those without a GED. After loosing his fifth job, he started looking at the less legal jobs available. That's how he came to be working for a gang. The only reason they keep him around is because he's the only one of them that can read, write, or add.

We are happy as we are for the most part. Sure, I wish I could go back to school or go out to the mall with friends, but I'm happy to be with my family. I wish that Mello wasn't in danger from his job every day, but his job keeps us safe at our little run down apartment. I wish that I could do more for Near, but I'm glad that he can get an education. Most of all, I wish that we didn't have to fend for ourselves, but I'm glad that we can face it together. I don't think that I could live without my brothers.

Mello and Near head off to bed and I get ready to head off to work. I peak into their room and smile at Near curled up next to Mello, both of them sleeping. They look so cute. I sigh and close the door and leave for work. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

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**Hope you liked it. Plot not finished, but that just means that the story may change some. Next chapter may be from Mello's point of view. But I might push it back further to establish more of the story.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for not updating for so long, but like I said it has no established plot. Still from Ro's point of view.**

**Disclaimer: I haven't read the manga or watched much of the anime, so I can't own it.**

I smile politely at the customer as I bag their groceries. It's one of those nosy old ladies and she squints at me trying to decide if I'm old enough to be doing this kind of job. Finally she grabs her bags and leaves muttering to herself.

"Have a nice night," I say as she leaves. I turn to the next person in line and give him the customary smile. He seems to be about the same age as Mello. His brown hair is cut short and swept across his chocolate eyes. He smiled at me and turned to yell over his shoulder.

"Hurry it up, L," he shouted while I rang up his purchases, "We've got to go."

A black haired man about the same age shuffled up behind him carrying several packages of sweets. He deposited them carefully and bit his thumb nail. I smiled at him, he looked like Near like that.

"Would you like them together," I asked unsure. They seemed to be together, but they might want the purchases on different tickets.

"Yeah," the guy called L said staring at me slightly with his dark gray eyes. He seemed to be trying to evaluate me and it was kind of creepy.

"So," the brown haired guy asked L. Evidently this was something he did often and preceded a response.

"15 percent chance," he said and returned his interest to his sweets. By then I had finished checking and bagging them. He picked out a lollypop and began eating it. His companion rolled his eyes and paid for their purchases.

"Have a good night," I said out of habit quite confused as to what the two men were talking about. Fifteen percent chance of what? Rain?

The rest of the night was mostly uneventful. Some biker guys came in and caused a ruckus but the manager threw them out. I walked home in the early dawn light. It was a half hour's walk back to our home and I needed to get back in time to fix Near breakfast before he left for school.

Mello was leaving about to leave when I got back. I fixed him some breakfast before he left and began cooking Near's breakfast. He wandered out with his little plush tiger he's had since he was born. He grabbed a plate from the cabinet and put it on the table. I brushed his hair gently while he ate.

He left to go to catch the school bus two blocks down. It was the closest stop that the buses made. I cleaned the dishes and went to sleep.

I woke up an hour before Near got home from school. Stretching, I set around the room cleaning up dirty clothes. Mello and Near weren't the cleanest of people. No matter how many times I told them, they never put their clothes in the hamper. I think Near only did that because Mello did, but I'm not sure.

I gathered our dirty clothes into the hamper and carried them down the street to the laundry mat. While I waited on our clothes I indulged in one of my few passions: reading. I managed to keep my library card after our parents died and still loved to read. Fantasy, sci-fi, pretty much anything; I'll read it.

As I sat there, a red haired man sat across from me with a video game. He was very concentrated on his game, so I didn't bother him. I probably should have since he tripped on his untied shoe lace when he stood up. Though maybe he couldn't see anything with those goggles on.

**So, random cameos from your favorite characters. They'll show up again soon. The story has a direction, but it mostly seems to be through a hole in the back of my head.**


End file.
